This lesson is compatible with the "Creation, Adam, and Cain" Flash-A-Cards from Abeka Books.
Scripture References: Genesis 1
The earth was filled with the smell of bright red roses that were growing tall. The wind was rustling through the leaves of the trees. The grass was bright green with colored flowers sticking up here and there. The sun was just going down across the big, wide ocean. The fifth day was beginning! If you remember, God began the first day in the evening. The Jews still celebrate their holy days beginning in the evening instead of the morning!
God was about to do something wonderful! “Let the waters be filled with moving creatures. And let the sky be filled with flying creatures!”
I imagine a rumbling sound started in the deeps of the ocean. The waves started splashing up and down. A giant whale swam in the big waves. Then, a swarm of tiny fish began swirling around the whale. A couple of dolphins jumped up out of the water, higher and higher with each jump! The sound of tiny feet scurrying across the sand was heard for the first time. A crab had come up out of the ocean to check out the sand! Clown fish were darting around the seaweed and the sea amoebas. They didn’t feel any fear when a family of sharks swam right past them. Those sharks didn’t eat meat yet! All of the sea creatures got along, and no one attacked anyone else.
In the air, birds began trying out their wings! A big eagle began circling around the tallest tree, trying to decide which branch to land on. An owl began hooting. The first hoot ever! The air was filled with the sounds of birds singing and chirping. Red birds and blue birds were chasing each other through the sky in play. Zipping by as fast as they could. A bright parrot was sitting on the ground after his first flight. Yellow, orange, green, and black feathers covered his body. The parrot began to make many sounds as he sang!
The earth was bustling with activity. The sounds of the birds singing in the air, and whales echoing in the ocean all reached up to heaven. God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit heard every beautiful sound. All of those sounds were saying one thing: “God is great! God is worthy of all praise! God is the Creator!”
All of God’s creation was showing how GREAT God is. God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit (all of them God, all of them different persons of the Trinity). They all created the universe, and they are all wonderful!
God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit all looked at the birds and fish and agreed: “It is good.” Then God spoke to the fish and the birds. “Be fruitful and increase in number. Fill the ocean and let birds fill the sky.” That was the fifth day of creation.
The next evening, God spoke again. “Let living animals be on the earth. Each animal of its own kind.”
When God spoke this, the sound of a roaring lion filled the air.
An elephant showed up by the beach and filled it’s trunk with water to spray itself.
A cheetah ran past at lightning speed, while a giant brontosaurus stomped over to the forest for a snack of leaves.
Roaches flitted past the brontosaurus and made their way to the hippos.
All kinds of animals were appearing! Cows and horses, zeebras and monkeys! Hamsters, cats, deer, and lizards! Animals of all sizes and shapes. The lions and the sheep were grazing in the same field, and no animal had fear of any other animals. The mice didn’t even feel fear for the giant dinosaurs! They all ate vegetables, instead of meat, so there was no reason to fear.
The earth sounded like a giant zoo with all of the birds singing and animals making their own sounds. Imagine how beautiful it must have been!
God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit once again saw that everything was good. God the Father said “Let’s make man in our image, similar to us.” God didn’t mean that man would be God, but that man would be able to talk and think, and that he would have a body, spirit, and soul. Animals don’t have souls that live forever like we do. We have souls that will either go to heaven or hell when we die. To go to heaven, we must receive Jesus as the Son of God who died for our sins, was buried, and rose again 3 days later. Animals can’t receive Jesus because they have no soul. But we can receive Jesus!
So God made man different than animals. Man is special to God. We can have a relationship with Him. God continued speaking: “Let man be in higher in importance than all of the fish, birds, and animals.” God made Adam and Eve on day 6, and blessed them and said “Have many children, and fill the earth. Look! I have given you all the plants to eat. Fruits and vegetables. I have also given fruits and vegetables for all of the animals to eat.”
God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit once again looked at the earth. How beautiful it all was! How perfect were the animals, and Adam and Eve! They all agreed that it was all VERY GOOD! So, that evening and the next morning were the 6th day.
The seventh day, the Bible tells us that God finished creation, and He rested. God did not NEED to rest. He never gets tired. He never sleeps, because He does not need sleep.
But God gave us an example. We are to put aside one day out of the week to rest, and to spend with Him! Sunday is our day of rest! We should make God the most important part of our day of rest. Really, God should be the most important in all of our days! But Sunday is a special time just for Him. We should go to church to hear more about Him. We should sing songs about Him. We should talk to Him, and let Him talk to us! (Praying and reading the Bible.)
I hope you put God first always! He created us, and He loves us! He made us special with a soul, and wants to have a relationship with us.
Let’s pray and ask God to help us want a relationship with Him.